Black Puppy Pinata (46cm x 26cm x 9cm) (Comes With Free Stick) One legend says that the pinata originated in China where Marco Polo saw it and brought it back to Italy. The Chinese version was typically a hollow effigy of a farm animal filled with seeds. In Italy the "pignatta," as it became to be known, was popularized by a game played by Roman soldiers who would hang clay pots and try to hit the pots with their swords while blindfolded. This game spread to Spain where it became a Lenten tradition. Playing the pinata game: A traditional pinata is hung at a certain height with players taking turns to hit the pinata with a stick or pinata buster until it breaks open. Then everyone races to collect the sweets and other treats that fall out onto the ground below.